That's right today is the 100th day of 2010 and the 100th day of the 2010 challenge. The year is going pretty fast but the transformation of the garden to organic and permaculture methods is shaping up one small step at a time.
Really it makes me feel good not to have to rely on chemical fertilizer and pesticides to grow the garden. There are plenty of natural solutions to many of the plant issues and it is kind of fun to learn and experiment to see if they work. It has certainly made me think before I plant something .
Anyway I am not out to change the world just my little piece of it.
Here is some parts of my backyard garden garden and how it is coming along.
This is the bird corner. It has plenty of cover for the birds to hide in and is a great place just to sit and watch the birds from my back porch. The wildlife put on a free show all day long and add a lot to the gestalt of a garden.The bulbs in bloom are Amaryllis's. They are over 60 years old handed down from several generations. They bloom every spring right on schedule each year and kind of signal the approach of the rain season and hot
ter weather.
ter weather.The Doves like to hang out on the power lines over the bird area and chew the fat.
To my Northern friends, " chew the fat" is Southern for hanging around talking about nothing in particular.
Every once in awhile the Doves will get into a savage fight over the pecking order for who gets to get on the feeder in what order. After being witness to some of their brawls makes me wonder how they became
the bird of peace symbol.
the bird of peace symbol.Over to the old Mango stump I figured to dress it up some.
I planted this Nasturtium from seed in one of the cricks of the stump figuring it will add some color. I'm hoping that it will get big before the summer heat cooks it. And even if the sun does cook it the leaves and flowers are edible. How's that for a permaculture plant. If it starts looking bad you just eat it!
At the base of the stump I put the Grampa Ott Morning Glory of course started from seed. It is a heirloom type of Morning Glory dating back generations. It is starting to cover parts of the stump and I am anticipating some spectacular blooms from this plant.
Speaking of salad here is the update on some of the Cucumber seeds that I started a while back.They are flowering and the baby Cucs are visible right behind the flower.
Won't be long for the Cucs will be Cucin'.
Add some of the Nasturtium leaves and Everglades Tomato's and a fresh garden salad is in the makin'.
Back on the permaculture front this here is my latest planting bed. It is a custom job that I made from 4x4x8 posts . It got a coat of concrete stain that was sitting in the shed for color. The fence is a dog barrier to keep my mutts from trampling the plants in the bed.This bed is for Comfrey plants. They will be used for making Comfrey Tea to feed the vegetables. The Comfrey is also medicinal for use as a poultice on sprains and cuts.
I was able to get six root cuttings of Blocking 14 cultivar of Russian Comfrey.
This type can be harvested like four times a year for the leaves. It grows quickly and produces a lot of biomass.
This Comfrey is growing already three days after planting a bare root slice.
These Comfrey plants will serve as to make a bio dynamic tea for the garden plants. Also the leaves are for the compost pile as a starter.
To learn more about organic gardening is one of my 2010 challenge goals. I have to thank African Aussie for the Comfrey idea. She mentioned the plant in her blog which led to me researching it and deciding to try it out.
That's the poop for day 100 of the challenge.
---Sanddune--
I love your bird area, and I'm sure they love it too. I have those same amaryllis blooming. Great, they tell us when the hot weather and rainy season are coming. Let's hope we do have a rainy season and not another drought. ~ Grandpa Ott is a pretty mg. It will be interesting to see this and the nasturtium taking over the stump.
ReplyDeleteIt's great using herbs for our health and for the health of our plants.
Happy Gardening ~ FlowerLady
Day 100 is hard to accept. Where is the year going? Your amaryllis look so nice. I have some red lion blooming now as well. I received my original bulbs from my Aunt and always think of her when they bloom. I have added some more over the years trying to make a grouping like you have done. Can't wait to see the MG in bloom all over the stump.
ReplyDeleteSanddune,
ReplyDeleteI hope your comfrey do well - mine certianly have perked up a bit since the continual rain stopped. It is great for heating up the compost pile. I also used it for a foliar feed after rotting the leaved down, it did pong a bit but went away after a day.
When I had a gardening group meeting a couple of weeks back some of them were surprised that I do not use any chemical fertilizer on my plants, just my own compost and seaweed. It is worth perserving down the organic route, as it just feels so right. congratulations - your amaryllis are lovely - I couldnt quite remember when they flowered, I thought mine flowered mid winter here. The didnt flower last year - I thought they must not have liked moving.
Flowerlady,
ReplyDeleteThe bird area is doing well and is most times full of different birds. I think it adds a lot to the garden to be able to watch the animals or it seems that way to me. The Amaryllis were from a grandfathers garden up in North Carolina. They seem to like it down here and bloom every year.
NanaK,
The Amaryllis were just stuck in the ground in no order because there were so many bulbs.They have been in the same place since 1983. I think that it is neat when one of your plants has some history behind it that you can associate with others. Gives them character...
Gillian,
Your blog provides a lot of great ideas. After researching the Comfrey is sounded like a good idea. The soil here is so poor I'm hoping the Comfrey tea will add some nutrients for the plants. Building up the soil with compost will take some time but is the way to go far as I can figure. Thanks for the idea about the Comfrey.Hope you get to dry out some down there.
Sanddune,
ReplyDeleteYour organic endeavors are really working around there. So much to learn and yet so rewarding with each little step and progress forward with organics. Your bird corner made me smile as do the blooming amaryllis. All mine were mush after the freezes and not one has produced a bloom ... maybe there's still time for them??? Some of mine came from my Grandmother. Love having history in plants.
Meems
Sanddune, I especially like your bird corner. Do you have squirrel trouble? I removed all bird feeders from my yard due to a squirrel infestation (12 at a time, sometimes). I try to attract them using plants and cover.
ReplyDeleteHi Meems,
ReplyDeleteSlowly but surely the organic methods are repairing my garden. Your blog is a great encouragement for me. It is fun to learn alternative old methods and incorperate them into the garden. Hope your Amaryllis come back. These here are maintanence free and just keep coming back each year on their own.
Kimberly,
The squirrels here leave the bird feeder alone probably because of my dogs. But they do get into the Avacado tree and cut the fruit. They have ate the emerging blooms off of some of the Orchids in the Avacado tree also.The birds do like to have a protected area with lots of bushes to hide in. For the most part my dogs are used to the birds being around all the time and pretty much leave them alone.
Sanddune: Your garden looks good, especially the bird corner and the Amaryllis! I evey your efforts on organic gardening, lots of thoughts have been put on it! Good job!
ReplyDeleteOh my, did you say that your amaryllis bulbs are over 60 years old?!!! What a wonderful thing to inherit! I once had some of those very same passalong amaryllis, but left them in the garden when I moved out of state. They had been given to me by my husband's grandparents, who have since moved out of state as well. Wish I had them again! My amaryllis are all the newer cultivars that are sold in garden centers.
ReplyDeleteAmi,
ReplyDeleteThe organic garden is coming along a step at a time. The important thing is that things still grow and will improve as the soil improves. Its not an overnight change but a slow improvement.
Floridagirl,
I agree the Amaryllis are great and they keep going with no care here in South Florida. It is special to have plants that remind you of others each time they bloom.